Tomiyasu Takashi, Yasumatsu Sora, Kodamatani Hitoshi, Kanzaki Ryo, Takenaka Chisato, Murao Satoshi, Miyagawa Shuichi, Nonaka Kenichi, Ikeguchi Akiko, Navarrete Ian A
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-35 Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan.
Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Feb;30(8):20052-20064. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-23497-5. Epub 2022 Oct 17.
To elucidate the dynamics of mercury emitted and released by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activity and to estimate its impact on the ecosystems of the bay, the distribution of mercury in the atmosphere, soil, water, and sediment around Mambulao Bay, Camarines Norte, Philippines, was investigated. The ASGM operations use mercury to extract gold from ore and are located on the east shore side of the bay. Samplings were conducted in August 2017 and September 2018. The samples were used for determination of total mercury (T-Hg) and organic mercury (org-Hg) concentrations, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and chemical composition. The atmospheric mercury concentration on the east shore side, 6.1-25.8 ng m, was significantly higher than the value of 1.4-9.9 ng m observed on the west shore side. The average concentrations of T-Hg in the forest soils of the west shore side and those of the east shore side were 0.081 ± 0.028 mg kg and 0.496 ± 0.439 mg kg, respectively. In the vertical distribution of T-Hg in the soil of the east shore side, a higher concentration was observed near the surface. For the vertical variations in T-Hg in the marine sediment, higher values were observed near the estuary, and the vertical variations in core samples showed an increase in mercury concentration toward the surface. The highest concentration of T-Hg in sediment, 9.5 mg kg, which was 2 orders of magnitude higher than the background levels of this area, was found near the river mouth. The T-Hg, org-Hg, and TOC levels showed a positive correlation, suggesting that the rivers are the main sources of T-Hg and org-Hg in the bay. Although the fish sample containing a mercury content higher than the regulatory level for fish and shellfish of 0.4 mg kg in Japan was only one of 42 samples, the percentage of org-Hg in fish samples was 91 ± 18%. Mercury released into the surroundings by the ASGM activities can be converted into methylmercury and affect the bay's ecosystem.
为了阐明手工和小规模金矿开采(ASGM)活动排放和释放汞的动态变化,并估计其对该海湾生态系统的影响,对菲律宾北甘马粦省曼布劳湾周围大气、土壤、水和沉积物中的汞分布进行了调查。ASGM作业使用汞从矿石中提取黄金,位于海湾的东岸。采样于2017年8月和2018年9月进行。这些样品用于测定总汞(T-Hg)和有机汞(org-Hg)浓度、总有机碳(TOC)含量和化学成分。东岸的大气汞浓度为6.1-25.8纳克/立方米,明显高于西岸观测到的1.4-9.9纳克/立方米的值。西岸和东岸森林土壤中T-Hg的平均浓度分别为0.081±0.028毫克/千克和0.496±0.439毫克/千克。在东岸土壤中T-Hg的垂直分布中,地表附近观察到较高浓度。对于海洋沉积物中T-Hg的垂直变化,河口附近观测到较高值,岩心样品的垂直变化显示汞浓度向地表增加。在河口附近发现沉积物中T-Hg的最高浓度为9.5毫克/千克,比该地区背景水平高2个数量级。T-Hg、org-Hg和TOC水平呈正相关,表明河流是海湾中T-Hg和org-Hg的主要来源。虽然汞含量高于日本鱼类和贝类监管水平0.4毫克/千克的鱼类样品仅占42个样品中的一个,但鱼类样品中org-Hg的百分比为91±18%。ASGM活动释放到周围环境中的汞可转化为甲基汞并影响海湾的生态系统。